Threats and denial
As Hurricane Milton was barreling towards the coast of Florida, gathering force at a speed that stupefied scientists, following on the trail of destruction sowed by Hurricane Helene a few days earlier, an equally frightening wave of denial was rising, spreading anger and panic, hindering efforts to handle the crisis. This was the work of politicians and citizens, when the results of the planet’s overheating are abundantly clear, as high temperatures on the surface of oceans and seas cause great instability and extreme weather. To try to deal with the disinformation threat, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had to set up a website on which it debunks false rumors and lies. Among these are that FEMA is hindering people trying to get away from danger, that the money for supporting citizens has gone to immigrants, and that those who receive money from FEMA forfeit their property to the agency.
How can it be explained that even when danger is so evident – as it was during the pandemic, too – so many turn to denial of reality and choose to undermine the collective effort to deal with the threat? A leading role, of course, is played by politicians and social media. Demagogues exploit and encourage the actions of a significant number of people in each society who do not trust governments and experts, nor, of course, mainstream news media. Just a few months ago, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis enacted legislation banishing the phrase “climate change” from the state’s laws. As for Donald Trump, in addition to spreading lies about the handling of the hurricanes, he has promised oil companies that if he is elected he will scrap legislation limiting their actions, if they contribute a billion dollars to his re-election campaign. It is no surprise that the strongest supporters of such politicians are among those who deny the climate crisis, just as they deny the need for vaccinations.
Uncontrollable floods and fires, wars, the threat of nuclear weapons, artificial intelligence, and the surging tide of refugees can overwhelm our thoughts when we don’t have faith in science, nor in those around us and beyond. Blaming “others” (whether they be governments, experts or migrants), we translate our discomfort and fear into rage and self-justification for our inertia. Politicians who invest in this are hastening destruction.
